“I’m not trying to satisfy anyone. I really make things because I’m curious – that’s the reason” — Lynda Benglis

Today’s ART21 Exclusive features Lynda Benglis reuniting with her first fountain, The Wave of the World (1983–84), which went missing in the years following the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition where the work was originally installed. Shown being repaired at the Modern Art Foundry in Queens, NY—the site where the work was originally cast—the large bronze cantilever was created after Benglis was awarded a commission to produce a fountain for the Louisiana World Exposition, a World’s Fair that took place in New Orleans. “Essentially, I think I repeat ideas of nature, and I process them and interpret them,” says Benglis, who grew up navigating the bayous of Louisiana and creating objects out of natural materials. Benglis attempts to harness her early creative impulses, which she says people learn to repress as adults. “It’s exciting for me to feel that same excitement that I felt as a kid.”

Included in this episode are never-before-seen photographs taken by Peter Bellamy that show Benglis creating the model for the fountain through her innovative use of expanding foam and wire mesh. The Wave of the World is currently on view in New Orleans City Park, an installation that was made possible with the support of The Helis Foundation.

As a producer and director, Ian Forster creates documentary content for Art21’s various digital and broadcast programs. Since joining the organization in 2009, he has worked on four seasons of Art in the Twenty-First Century and the Peabody Award-winning film William Kentridge: Anything Is Possible. Additionally, he has overseen the digital series Extended Play since 2012, producing over 100 short artist portraits. Forster created the online video series Artist to Artist in 2013, which has since featured artists in conversation with their peers at international biennials in Italy, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.